The Ella Project, an artist services organization providing pro bono legal assistance and business services to New Orleans cultural community, presents Crescendo, a seven week series of music business workshops kicking off Tuesday, October 5,, at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, 400 Esplanade Ave. Co-presented with the New Orleans Jazz Museum and OffBeat Media, Crescendo works with independent musicians on multiple phases of their music business career. Musicians can pick and choose sessions they are most interested in, or purchase a season pass to all seven sessions.
All sessions take place on Tuesdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, 400 Esplanade Ave. Proof of a COVID vaccination or a negative test from the previous 72 hours is required for entry. The schedule is as follows:
October 5: Copyright and Contracts for Musicians
October 12: Publishing and Publishing Revenue Streams
October 19: Working with Labels, Master Recordings and Record Deals
October 26: Streaming Royalties and Performing Rights Organizations
November 2: Music Contracts, Band Agreements, and Trademarks
November 9: Running your Band Like a Business
November 16: Releasing, Pitching, and Monetizing Your Music
The first session on October 5 is free. Additional workshops are $20 each, or participants can buy a season pass for a flat rate of $100. Lead presenters for Crescendo are musician and music business professional Lou Hill and attorney Brianna Whetstone.
A New Orleans native, Hill is a founding member of the musical group Water Seed and CEO of Moonrise Entertainment. He produced the Band Together Benefit in 2020 and the City of New Orleans’ virtual Embrace the Culture series, and launched GenRise a multi-platform music and media company in partnership with DJ Raj Smoove.
Whetstone is an attorney with McCranie Sistrunk Anzelmo Hardy McDaniel & Welch. She had previously worked for LucasArts in San Francisco. Bri graduated magna cum laude from Tulane Law School. While in law school, she focused on civil law, entertainment law, and intellectual property law. She served as an Honor Board Representative for three years, was a member of Tulane Inn of Court, and was the President of the Entertainment & Arts Law Society.
Detailed descriptions of each session and registration may be found here.
Crescendo is presented with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the City of New Orleans Office of Culture Economy, the Arts, Entertainment, and Sports Law Section of the Louisiana State Bar Association, and the annual supporters of The Ella Project.
